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Senator Abdulaziz Yari has spent two nights languishing in the dungeon of Nigeria’s iron-fisted State Security Service, reporters were told by two officials familiar, after multiple telephone calls to his lines from President Bola Tinubu rang through last month.
One senior security officer and a State House aide told reporters in separate disclosures on Friday that the SSS arrested Mr Yari on Thursday morning and detained him for “thinking the president is a joke,” as one official put it. Both sources obtained the reporter’s commitment to keeping them anonymous to bounce potential backlash from Mr Tinubu, who seemed to be shaping up to be a ruthless and vindictive leader after barely five weeks in office.
Sources said Mr Yari received a call from Yusuf Bichi, the director-general, to report at the SSS’ headquarters for an urgent discussion.
Upon arrival, Mr Yari was asked to wait for Mr Bichi, who purportedly stepped out. But the senator was delayed throughout the day by a phalanx of armed SSS agents, only to be told at about 10:00 p.m. Thursday that he won’t be going home, the report learnt. The senator’s planned visit with other Senate colleagues to former President Ibrahim Babangida on Friday was consequently aborted.
Peoplesmind